Bonnie Says: For Inspired Career & Life Advice, Run Don't Walk To Get Copy Of Hoda Kotb's New Book!

Hey girlfriends, it’s not that often that a book comes along — Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer and Kathie Lee — that combines a great, gripping read with real life useable advice for every young or young-in-spirit woman.

In full disclosure, I’ve been lucky enough to be a guest on The Today Show‘s fourth hour, hosted by Hoda Kotb and the irrepressible Kathie Lee Gifford. So I’ve been fortunate to meet dynamo Hoda and #1, I can tell you that she’s as gorgeous, smart and gracious, in real life as she is on TV.

It turns out that Hoda is the perfect argument for this country needing the energy of new immigrants. Her parents, both born in Egypt, immigrated to the U.S. one week after their wedding. Hoda grew up in Oklahoma and West Virginia, as the girl with the funny name and wild frizzy hair. but she was also the girl who grew up yearning to be in the “news” business — the live, in-the-moment reporting television news business.

Hoda takes you through her journey from a junior job at the CBS news bureau in Cairo, through 27 rejections from US TV news directors, to NBC’s Dateline, and finally to The Today Show.

And listen up, girls — if you think that women who get to top spots don’t work THEIR petunias off to get there — think again.

Hoda takes you through harrowing trips to cover the Iraq war, to Afghanistan, to Pakistan to find a brave female rape victim, to Katrina-devastated New Orleans, and more.

And then there was her own brave battle against breast cancer at the VERY same time that she was dealing with a divorce from the husband who betrayed her. Talk about a double whammy!

My favorite takeaway Hoda advice: Ask for the promotion you want, and don’t sit around and wait for someone to recognize your fabulousness.

Hoda took her own advice and asked for the Today show gig she sparkles in now with Kathie Lee!